2008 Ford Mustang GT - Inside The OEs

The Bullitt Is BackNow in its fourth year of production, the current S197/D2C Mustang is still pulling pretty fair sales numbers. That probably surprised the industry a little. For a model that deep into its product cycle, Ford has done a solid job maintaining consumer demand for its iconic fifth-generation ponycar-and a darn good job building the car too: The '08 Mustang recently topped the rankings in three J.D. Power surveys for initial quality, consumer appeal, and reliability. Ford's success with the Mustang no doubt played a part in inspiring GM and Chrysler to take one more run at the ponycar segment with the upcoming Camaro and Challenger.

To help maintain that momentum through the current product cycle, here comes Ford with a new addition to the Mustang lineup: the Bullitt, a model last seen in 2001 on the previous SN95 platform. Based, of course, on the customized '68 Mustang driven by Steve McQueen in the movie Bullitt, this new Mustang has "a look of quiet intensity" according to Ford-much like the actor himself, we suppose. While the new Bullitt does not come with a turtleneck sweater or a pair of cold blue contact lenses, it does manage to capture the flavor of the original movie Mustang. You can supply your own screen charisma.

Blacked-out grille with bright surround trim, check. Exterior badges and emblems shaved off, check. American Racing-styled 18-inch wheels with gray spokes and polished rims, check. Highland Green paint, check-though black is also available. (We thought red might be an option, too, since Ford had a bright-red Bullitt test mule running around on the streets of Dearborn. However, it turns out that was just a counterintelligence ploy to throw us off track.) Anyway, the new Bullitt shares all the familiar cues of the famous movie car, with just enough exterior decoration to let the hard-core Mustang crowd identify it: a Bullitt emblem on the rear deck panel and a pair of 3.5-inch exhaust tips. With no rear spoiler or GT badges on the front fenders, the average guy on the street might take the Bullitt for a standard V-6 Mustang.

But of course the Mustang cognoscenti will make no such mistake. They will key in on the special aluminum dash trim, scuff plates, shifter ball, and the Shelby GT500 side-bolster seats. Under the hood they'll be looking for the unique strut tower brace with serial plate sporting the car's Bullitt production number, and the cold-air induction assembly that Ford says is the first it's ever offered in a production Mustang.

The fresh-air kit is part of a unique calibration for the Bullitt's 4.6L V-8, which includes a dual-knock strategy that allows the engine to run on regular or premium fuel, while the redline has been increased 250 ticks to 6,500 rpm. With revised cam timing and exhaust system, the Bullitt is rated at 315 hp. However, it is the lower 3.73:1 axle ratio that really wakes up the Bullitt compared with the standard Mustang GT. And with the Tremec RT-3650 five-speed gearbox (sorry, no automatic available), the Bullitt's top speed is still a claimed 151 mph.

Ford invited HOT ROD to drive the new Bullitt though the streets of San Francisco, just as McQueen did in the movie, then down the California coast to Monterey. However, we were discouraged from performing Rallycross-style jumps and crashing into black Dodge Chargers. We enjoyed the trip anyway, thanks mainly to the Bullitt-specific spring and damper package that hit the Mustang's sweet spot for us. We were also glad to have the additional lateral support provided by the Shelby seat frames as we swerved our way through the tight and twisty parts. Movie tribute or not, the Bullitt is a smart bundle o features and calibrations in its own righ-arguably the best overall package yet in a normally aspirated Mustang. The price is nice, too at less than $31,000. But you might want to hurry, as Ford says production will be limited to 7,700 units. -Bill McGuire

Inside Ford's Future Boss EngineA few months ago HOT ROD gave you the heads-up on Ford's new Boss engine scheduled for production in 2009. (Inside the OEs, Oct. '07) However, at that time all we had were a few choice facts and some photos of the engine's exterior. But now, thanks to our elaborate network of moles, spies, and dark operatives-your fellow HOT ROD readers, actually-here is the inside scoop on the Boss motor's insides.

Larger but similar in layout to the Ford Modular V-8, the Boss block is built on 4.54-inch bore centers, allowing significantly larger bore diameters than the current engine family. Naturally, that means larger displacements: 6.2 liters in its initial form with the capacity to go over 7.0 liters. The Boss engine is scheduled to debut in Ford's all-new F-150 truck line in 2009 and in the Mustang in 2010. -Bill McGuire

Driving The '08 Viper SRT10What can you say about a car that comes straight out of the factory with 600 hp? Here's one expression that comes to mind: Quantity has a quality all its own. Joseph Stalin supposedly said it, but the saying must surely be older than that. How about this one: You can't ever have too much of a good thing. Hey, that's exactly how we feel about horsepower.

The Viper was hardly a subtle device in previous model years, but for 2008 Dodge has kicked things up another notch by raising the V-10's output another 90 hp. A displacement increase to 8.4 liters, new aluminum heads with CNC ports and combustion chambers, and a bump in compression ratio from 9.6:1 to 10.2:1 are mainly responsible for all this bounty. There's also a new exhaust system and a trick variable-timing camshaft. The final numbers are 600 hp at 6,100 rpm and 560 lb-ft of torque at 5,000 rpm.

The more powerful engine has been stuffed into largely the same package as before: the third-gen Viper platform introduced in 2003. The gearbox is Tremec's latest six-speed, the TR6060, coupled to a twin-disc clutch. The previous Michelin run-flat tires have been abandoned in favor of Pilot Sports riding on new U-spoked forged aluminum wheels. The hood now features spiffy power slats, and there are five new exterior colors for 2008. So how is this latest Viper to drive? Well, to be honest it drives pretty much like the previous Viper, except now it has 600 hp. And that would be more, wouldn't it.

The Viper has always been an easy machine to criticize for those inclined to do so. Drive one every day for any real distance and it will start to wear on you, if not wear you out: The cabin is horribly cramped; the odd-fire V-10's engine note sounds like a tractor's much of the time; the chassis rides like a chain-drive Mack truck. So sure, the Viper is crude. Crude, but effective. The Viper is not a car for everyday use and has never pretended to be. But jump in on a Saturday afternoon and it will go, turn, and stop faster than all but a few cars in the world, and it will do so for less than 90 grand. Calling the Viper a bad car is like calling Roadhouse a bad movie: It totally misses the point. Don't be too clever to have a good time. The Viper is what it is, and now with 600 hp it still is. Still crude; still effective. -Bill McGuire